Moa Jamir
Noumvüzolie Sachü, graduate of Kohima College, took the road less travelled and decided to become a carpenter. He asserts, “There is so much scope here starting from the smallest thing to the biggest.” Over two decades back, Elhio Lotha ventured into a not-so-conventional career to become an electrician and now likens solving “electrical problems” to “detective” works. He found joy in lighting up many homes. Imkongtemsü, through various life challenges, become a mason by choice and states with contentment that there is no other job he would rather be engaged in. In villages and town across the state, there are countless such stories – both successful as well as in margins, often devoid of any identity or social security net.
The Government of Nagaland has declared 2016-2017 as the ‘Year of Construction Workers' (YoCW),’ an initiative aimed at skill development as well as to encourage youth engagement in activities other than the government sector. A prolific Naga musician with his signature nasal twang, in collaboration with a Naga production house, has also released a music video celebrating the life of construction workers.
This has had created a buzz. But where are the other sales pitches to make the youth choose the field as an alternative avenue? Among others, it involves ensuring them a social security net as well as an identity and recognition as a productive contributor to the economy and the society.
For example, if we look at the trajectories of economic development and growth in West, particularly in Europe, many nations post World War II have adopted the concept of welfare state which typically envisages that “the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens...” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). In United States, Social Security is described as the “foundation of economic security for millions of Americans—retirees, disabled persons, and families of retired, disabled or deceased workers.” It claims to be “(one of) the most successful anti-poverty programs” in the nation's history. Different approaches regarding these processes exist but they all entail certain pro-activeness on the part of the state in ensuring the welfare of society through fiscal policies, regulation and direct provision.
In India, while several schemes exist for the organised sector, ‘The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act’, 2008 was the first that gave a basic modicum of social security to workers under this sector define as “enterprise owned by individual or self-employed workers and engaged in production or sales of goods or providing service of any kind, whatsoever, and where the enterprises employs worker, the number of such workers is less than ten.”
The Act purportedly called ‘Social Security Act,’ however, was criticized for not defining what constitutes “social security" and, like another poverty eradication scheme, is susceptible to bureaucratic inefficiency and leakages. The benefits also look elementary if compared to social security scheme in other countries.
Under the Act, the State Government was required to issue an Unorganized Workers Identity Number (UWIN) Smart card to every eligible unorganized worker. A Shram Shakti Pehchaan (Labour Power Identified), a programme focused on ensuring the welfare and well-being of workers in the unorganised sector was also launched in 2015.
Devoid of any policy of its own, Nagaland had to depend on social security schemes provided by the centre. Consequently, in June 2016, the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers’ (NBOCW) Welfare Board was launched. However, its coverage remains alarmingly low. Only 4271 construction workers are registered under the NBOCW, an IPR report states.
Media reports on awareness programmmes about the same, either through Nagaland’s Department of Information and Public Relations, press releases or reporting, are rudimentary.
The Nagaland Vision 2030 document informed that 13,000 educated young people enter the job market annually. 30 percent of the population or 6.82 lakh youth in Nagaland were in the age group of 15-29 years in 2016. This is a formidable force if gainfully employed, but could have dramatic social-political and economic ramification if not.
It is imperative to channelize these potential energies into productive employment before such endowment turns into a liability. This will not occur by merely undertaking a public relation exercise, populist rhetoric or singing paeans sporadically, but a substantive policy.
A comprehensive health and pension coverage - either contributory or universal and an insurance scheme with limited bureaucratic control and a transparent working system could be a unique state initiative.
For any comment, drop a line to moajamir@live.com
